In short:
Fire crews are responding after a small plane crashed in north-east Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's governor has said.
The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were aboard the plane, which appeared to be a medical transport jet.
What’s next?
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.
A medical transport jet has crashed in the US city of Philadelphia shortly after take-off, resulting in a fireball that set homes ablaze.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said two people were aboard the plane, which was en route to Springfield, Missouri.
The plane crashed in a busy intersection near Roosevelt Mall, an outdoor shopping centre with dozens of stores and restaurants in the residential neighbourhood of Rhawnhurst.
The plane, which is owned by Jet Rescue, crashed about 30 seconds after taking off.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he was offering all "Commonwealth resources as they respond to the small private plane crash in north-east Philly."
The crash site is less than 4.8 kilometres from Northeast Philadelphia Airport, which primarily serves business jets and charter flights.
First responders respond to the fire after the plane crash. (AP: Matt Rourke)
Residents say the blast shook houses
Michael Schiavone, 37, was sitting at his home in Mayfair when he heard a loud bang and his house shook.
He said it felt like a mini earthquake and it looked like a missile was coming down when he checked his home security camera footage.
"There was a large explosion, so I thought we were under attack for a second," Mr Schiavone said.
A small plane has crashed in north-east Philadelphia. (AP: Matt Rourk)
Jim Quinn, 56, lives about a kilometre from the crash site and was leaving his home when he heard the crash.
He said it sounded like a "loud roar" and he when he turned around he saw a "big plume" of smoke.
Mr Quinn then looked at his doorbell camera footage, which captured a streak of white diving down from the sky, followed by what he described as a fireball.
He added that the blast shook houses in the residential neighbourhood.
One cell phone video taken by a witness moments after the plane crashed showed a chaotic scene with debris scattered across the intersection.
A wall of orange glowed just beyond the intersection as a plume of black smoke quickly rose into the sky and sirens blared.
Roads blocked, thick cloud of smoke
Philadelphia's emergency management office said there was a "major incident" at the location of the crash site and that roads were closed in the area.
Flight data showed a Learjet 55 taking off from the airport at 6:06pm and disappearing from radar about 30 seconds later after climbing to an altitude of 1,600 feet (487 meters).
A photo posted on the social platform X by the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management showed a thick cloud of smoke in the sky near the Roosevelt Mall, where first responders were blocking traffic and onlookers crowded onto a street corner.
The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead the investigation.
The NTSB, which investigates air crashes, said it was gathering information about the crash.
ABC/Wires
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